MADISON COUNTY — On Friday, Jan. 14, Judge Patrick O’Sullivan (Rep.) was sworn in as a New York State Supreme Court Justice on the front steps of the Madison County Courthouse.
In his new position, O’Sullivan will serve the Sixth Judicial District, which includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties.
Madison County has not had a sitting New York State Supreme Court Justice in 16 years.
Previously, O’Sullivan served for six years as Madison County Court Judge, which was a multi-bench judicial position (county, family, and surrogate’s courts).
He also served as Nelson Town Justice and Cazenovia Acting Village Justice. As an attorney, he has more than two decades of litigation experience.
Originally from the Bronx, O’Sullivan obtained his bachelor of science degree at Daemen College in Amherst, New York in 1985, his master of science degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York in 1990, and his juris doctorate degree from Western Michigan University – Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan in 1993.
O’Sullivan has taught trial practice at Syracuse University College of Law and was a member of the adjunct faculty at the State University of New York at Morrisville, where he taught New York Criminal Procedure and New York Penal Law.
The judge was sworn into his current office by Madison County Court Judge Michael St. Leger.
“I have gotten to know Patrick really well over the last two years,” said St. Leger. “He is a really caring person and he has been a great mentor to me.”
St. Leger noted that one of the things that set O’Sullivan apart as a judge is his empathy.
“He brings [to the table] a sense of understanding of how other people feel,” he said. “. . . He considers their needs and their thoughts all the time, and it’s really, really important as a judge. I really respect the man, [and] I love working with him. . .”
After taking his oath, O’Sullivan remarked that he could not believe he was standing on the courthouse steps as a Supreme Court Justice of the State of New York.
“It was not something that was in my background,” he said. “I was raised in a blue-collar family with the blue-collar ethic, and I actually thought I’d maybe be a police officer or even a priest at one time. . . Somehow, someway, through life, this has happened, and I can’t explain it.”
O’Sullivan added that he is proud of his blue-collar background and that he strives to live by three rules when it comes to his professional life: be the first in and the last out, always work hard, and have gratitude for every job you do.
“My mother and my father would never believe this, and I can’t believe it,” O’Sullivan said. “So, I thank all of you, and I hope that I will not let you down. I will follow that blue-collar work ethic.”
